Idaho’s judicial districts announced new websites Tuesday for the public to engage with local court services in more streamlined, accessible ways. The new sites come in an effort to “modernize how court information is presented” across the state’s seven district courts, according to a press release. The sites put together information from the different districts […]
One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in […]
Searching through court records in Idaho just got easier. A new interface for accessing court documents was rolled out across local courthouses Tuesday morning, according to the Idaho Judicial Branch. Computer kiosks at Idaho’s county courthouses have been updated to enable users to search case information and hearings without entering a party name or case […]
August is now Idaho Transparency Month, according to a Friday announcement from Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf. The initiative will highlight Idaho’s commitment to open government, with a focus on connecting Idahoans with the transparency platforms Idaho operates, the announcement said. The Office of the State Controller plans to hold stakeholder discussions, and share “Did […]
BATON ROUGE, La. — A legal fight over Louisiana's largest economic development project is heading to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, where a judge will decide whether Meta must disclose key details about its $50 billion Hyperion data center planned for Richland Parish.The hearing comes just days after a New York Times investigation detailed how Louisiana officials secured the project through tax incentives, nondisclosure agreements and private negotiations.The report found state leaders rewrote a tax incentive bill during the 2024 legislative session to help land the project and kept negotiations confidential while competing with other states for the investment.Gov. Jeff Landry has defended the process, saying the data center will create about 1,000 permanent jobs, thousands of construction jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity for northeast Louisiana.However, questions remain about how many jobs the facility will ultimately create and how much electricity it will consume once operational.The Alliance for Affordable Energy is pushing for those details to be made public, arguing Louisiana residents and utility customers deserve greater transparency before the project moves forward. The organization says the information is critical because of the potential impact the facility could have on the state's electric grid and utility rates.Meta has been subpoenaed to disclose its projected job numbers and energy demand but maintains it is not required to release that information.An administrative law judge with the Louisiana Public Service Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday to determine whether the company must comply with the subpoena.The case comes as two of the commission's five elected seats are on the ballot this November, placing additional attention on the agency responsible for regulating Louisiana's utility companies.
Across Kentucky, a troubling pattern is emerging. Whether in healthcare, education, or non-profit organizations, board decisions are increasingly being questioned — not simply because difficult decisions are being made, but because stakeholders are asking how those decisions are being made. Recent events involving boards governing Fayette County Public Schools, the University of Kentucky, and the […]
The Indiana Office of Inspector General will no longer publish summaries of its investigations into alleged fraud, mismanagement and wrongdoing in state government. State law classifies OIG investigative reports as confidential, but reports can be released if the governor or inspector general determines the information is in the public’s interest. In the past, inspectors general […]
Critics of the Stratos data center are pushing for more details on the plan and criticizing the rapid pace of early approvals for the project.
(The Center Square) - Many Washington state daycare providers receive large taxpayer subsidies. But an investigation by The Center Square found several that had few, if any, children and at least one establishment that received hundreds of thousands of dollars despite residents at the listed address indicated it was not a daycare.
(The Center Square) – Georgia's largest school district has quoted a community activist nearly $40,000 to fulfill a public records request – an estimate a First Amendment attorney calls "crazy high" and potentially out of scope.
